Folding door



E. BERAHDINELLL- FOLDING DOOR.

" APPLICATION FILED AUGJB. I916.

Patented Oct. 14, 1919.

1 3 SHEETSSHEET l. 71 72' Fi I E. BERARDIN'ELLL FOLDINGlDOOR. APPLICATION FILED AUG-l8. 1916.

1,8 MAW. Patented ()ct.14,1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

E. BERARDINELLI.

FOLDINGDOOR. APPLICATION FILED AUG.18.1916.

1,318,433. Patented Oct. 14, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

ETTORE BERARDINELLI, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

FOLDING DOOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Got. II, 1919.

Continuation in part of application Serial No. 79,503, filed February 21, 1916. This application filed August 18, 1916. Serial No. 115,689.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, E'r'ronn BERARDINELLI, being a subject of the King of Italy, but having declared my intention of becoming a citizen of the United States, and. being now a resident of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Doors, whereof the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My inventionds particularly adapted for use in connection with such structures as telephone booths, and the main objects thereof are to simplify the construction of the folding-door element without sacrifice of strength, to improve the appearance of the exterior thereof, to facilitate the manipulation of the door for closing or opening, to maintain a close and relatively sound-proof fit whenthe door is shut, and to avoid danger in the act of opening or closing the door.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I, represents an elevation of the door in a closed position, as seen from the inside of the booth.

Fig. II, is a top or plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 1, indicating by dot and dash lines the door in a partly. open condition.

Fig. III, is a v1ew in elevation, showing the door in closed position as seen from the exterior of the booth.

Fig. IV, is a view, in horizontal cross section and on an enlarged scale, of the members at the region of the fold, the plane of section being indicated by the line IV, IV, of Fig. III.

Figs. ,V, and and exterior views in elevation of that portion of the door which is immediately adjacent to the parts indicated in cross section in Fig. IV. I v

Fig. VII, is a view, inhorizontal section through the door in a closed position, showing adjacent portions of the wall of the booth and taken on the plane indicated by the line VII, VII, of Fig. I, the position of the parts, when the door is completely open, being indicated by dot and dash lines.

Fig. VIII, is a view, in perspective, of one of the hinges.

Fig. IX, is an end view of the hinge, and

Fig. X, is a vertical sectional view show- VI, are respectively interior the hinges shown in detail in ing the details of one of the spring actuated cam stops for detaining the door in a closed position, the scale of the last mentioned figure being very considerably enlarged above that of the other figures.

Referring to the general views of Figs. I, III, and VII, 1, indicates thewall of. the booth, or other inclosure, showin the frame of the doorway in which the folding door is hung by means of a plurality of ordinary hinges such as are indicated at 2, said hinges being mounted on the inside of the structure.

Ihe door itself comprises two folding members 3, and 4, respectively, which may be paneled with glass panes, or constructed in any desired manner.

The hanging-stile 5, which is hinged to the vertical post of the doorway is preferably made somewhat concave on its edge as indicated at 6, in Fig. VII, so as to fit snugly upon a corresponding convex portion 7, of the vertical post of the doorway. The folding members 3 and 4:, are provided at their meeting edges with the foldingstiles 10, and 11, respectively, which are secured together by means of a plurality of hinges about to be described. The adjacent edges of said folding-stiles 10, and 11, are reduced, as shown, to permit turning or swinging movement with reference to ad j acent parts by being convexly rounded throughout approximately a quadrant, as indicated at 12, and 13, respectively, the arcs of the rounded. portion commencing at the exterior face of the stiles and the radii being considerably less than thetotal depth or thickness thereof. The quadrant arcs merge into reversed shallow curves 15, and 16, respectively, which continue on throughout the total depth or thickness of the members 10, and 11. As will be noted by reference to Figs. III, IV, and VII, the result of this arrangement is that when the door is in a closed position, the outer faces of the folding-stiles 10, and 11, directly meet one another, having no interposed vertical memflush exterior faces from top to bottom, on the outside of the door. Ihe folding-stiles 10, and 11, are hinged together by means of Figs. VIII, and IX, (in this" instance only two in number), said hinges "beingmounted upon the exterior faces of the folding-stiles 'gion immediately adjacent to the post, as.

The hinge is a three-part structure, comsurface of the plate 30, when the hinge is completely opened out, in order to limit its movement.

The bearing lugs 31, and 33, upon the plate 30, are also extended inwardly as shown at 47, and 48, in order to receive spring actuated'stop pins 50, and 51, seated in vertical cavities, such as 52 (see Fig. X), each pinhaving a protruding rounded head 53, which is adapted to engage in a rounded recess 54, formed in the adjacent face of the wing plate, said head engaging in said recess, when the hinge is opened out flat, with suflicientfirmness to retain the members of the hinge against accidental displacement, while the rounded head acts as a cam to depress the pin into its cavity, without requiring substantial exertion when the members of the door are shifted by the handle described later on.

The central hinge plate 30, also carries on its interior face a laterally projecting post 60, which extends inwardly to a distance somewhat greater than half the cross sectional depth of the folding-stiles 10, and 11, which latter are slightly recessed at the reshown at 61 in Fig. IV. A central vertical strip 62, reduced in correspondence with the folding-stiles by having shallow concaved faces adjacent to them, is secured to the hinged posts 60, by screws 63, which engage in the central cavities of the posts, the edges of the inner face of the strip 62 being round ed as shown, the strip. 62, being wide, but of relatively small depth, so that it lies within the reversed curved portions 15, and 16, of the folding-stiles, with its rear face in the same plane with the rear faces of the latter.

It will thus be noted that the central strip 62, does not intervene between the foldingstiles or separate them in any way, but is wholly restricted to the inner face of the door and simply fits against the rear or inner faces of the folding-stile, when in a closed position, thus obviating the presence of acentral vertical member interposed between the folding-stiles from top to bottom, and also allowingthe hinges to be attached at any desired vertical positions without sub stantially cutting into either the strip itself, or the folding-stiles, for attachment of the hinge members.

This method of construction greatly simplifies the formation and assembling of the parts, as no accurate fitting of the ad acent surfaces is required, and enhances the strength of the structure, while presenting a neat and attractive appearance of the exterior of the door when the latter is in a closed position.

The edge of the outer, or free stile 65, of the door is preferably beveled, and provided with a flange 66,. adapted to overlap and engage the edge of the vertical post of the doorway, which is correspondingly beveled, as indicated at 67, (see Fig. VII). An overlapping strip 68, may be also mounted upon the inner face of the doorway post, so that there may be a complete closure of the joint when the door is shut.

The free member 3, of the door is provided with guiding mechanism, preferably comprising a bracket post 70, having at its top projecting lugs 71 and 72, with an interspace between them, said lugs engaging re: spectively with the front and rear faces of a curved track 73, mounted horizontally across the lintel member of the door frame. Thecurvature of said track may be substan tially the arc of a circle, but is platted upon the line of least resistance to the swinging movement of the door in opening or closing, and, therefore, is preferably slightly unsymmetrical to the face of the lintel, as is indi cated in Fig. II.

A handle 76, is mounted upon the door at theregion immediately adjacent to the fold, at a convenient height to be grasped by the operator, the handle in the instance shown being directly secured to the strip 62. The feature of mounting the handle at the region of the fold and providing guiding means for the free member 3, of the door, affords the maximum of leverage to start the door from a completely folded position, and the maximum of toggle action to start the door' from a completely closed position, and when the handle is mounted directly upon the central vertical strip, the strip can rock upon a vertical axis with relation to either fold ing-stile, and thus can automatically attain the position of least resistance, at any given position and for movement in either direct1on.

As folding doors of this general character have been heretofore constructed, there is apt to be a resistance to movement at either extreme position, and a certain dexterity on the part of the operator is required, the initiation of the opening movement from a completely closed position being sometimes so difficult as to occasion nervousness on the part of the occupant of the booth.

By reason of the arrangement and organization of the parts which are characteristic of my invention, the manipulation of the door from, or into, any position is entirely' simple and requires a minimum ofexertion.

When completely closed, the door is held quite lightly, but still with suflicient firmness to obviate the dan er of accidental displacement, by means 0 the spring actuated cam-stops 50, which do not require direct actuation in order to depress them within mate inner edges reduced; a plurality of folding hinges each comprising a central plate and a pair of lateral wings hinged thereto, said wings being mounted upon the exterior faces of the folding-stiles, each hinge also comprising a post mounted on said central plate and extending. rearwardly through recesses in the reduced portions of the folding-stiles; and a relatively wide and shallow covering strip mounted upon the hinge posts and fitting snugly upon the inner surfaces of the folding-stiles, substantially as set forth.

2. In a door comprising two folding members, one of which is hinged to the door-wa frame; the combination of a pair of fol ing-stiles whose exterior adjacent edges meet directly when the door is in a closed position, said folding-stiles having their proximate inner edges reduced; a relatively wide and shallow central covering strip wholly restricted to the inner face of the door, and fitting over the inner surfaces of the foldingstiles; hinges mounted upon the exterior faces of the folding-stiles and connecting said folding-stiles respectively to said strip, and a handle for operating the door, substantially as set forth. 1

3. In a door comprising two folding members, one of which is hinged to the do0rway frame, the combination of a pair of folding-stiles whose exterior adjacent edges meet directly when the door is in a closed position and whose proximate inner edges are convexly rounded; a plurality of folding hinges each comprising a central plate and a pair of lateral wings hinged thereto, said wings being mounted upon the exterior faces of the folding-stiles, each hinge also comprising a post mounted on said central plate and extending rearwardly through recesses in the rounded ortions of the folding-stiles, a relatively wi e and shallow covering strip mounted upon the hinge posts and fitting snugly over the rounded inner Surfaces of the folding-stiles, an operating handle mounted upon said strip; a track mounted across the upper portion of the door-way frame, and a guiding member mounted upon the free folding-stile and operativel engag-. ing said track, substantially as set orth.

4. In a door comprising two folding members, one of which is hinged to the door-way frame, the combination of a pair of folding-stiles whose exterior adjacent edges meet directly when the door is in a closed position and whose proximate inner faces are re- 7 duced; a plurality of folding hinges each comprising a central plate and a pair of lateral wings hinged thereto, said wings being mounted upon the exterior faces of the folding-stiles, each hinge also comprising a post mounted on said central plate and extending rearwardly through recesses inthe reduced portions of the folding-stiles; a spring actuated cam pin, mounted insaid plate, and adapted to lightly engage said wing when the hinge is opened out, but to recede, by cam action alone, when the door is operatlvely shifted; and a relativel wide and shallow covering strip mounte upon the inner extremity of the hinge posts and fitting snugly over the inner surfaces of the folding-stiles, substantially as set forth.'

5. In a door comprising two folding members, one of which is hinged to the door-way frame, the combination of a pair-of foldingstiles whose exterior adjacent edges meet directly when the door is in a closed position; a plurality of folding hinges each comprising a central plate and a pair of lateral wings hinged thereto, said wings being mounted upon the exterior facesof the folding-stiles, and a spring-actuated cam-pin, mounted in said plate, and adapted to lightly engage said wing when the hinge is opened out, but to recede, by cam action alone, when the door is operatively shifted.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this twenty-seventh day of July, 1916.

ETTORE BERARDINELLI.

Witnesses:

JosEPH V. SOMERS, ANTHONY D. VALERIO. 

